It was a unit that, in some ways, was fighting a losing battle this past season. Given all the offensive problems of the New York Giants, the team’s defense may have deserved a better fate. Granted, Big Blue finished 27th in the league in total yards allowed, and only three teams gave up more yards on the ground. However, this was a team that was tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the most takeaways (31) in 2023.
This offseason, general manager Joe Schoen orchestrated quite the deal in obtaining Carolina Panthers’ pass-rusher Brain Burns. The latter had been given the "franchise" tage by the team with the worst record in the NFL this past season. The two-time Pro Bowler has totaled 46.0 sacks and eight forced fumbles in five seasons.
Giants have promising trio on defense
He now becomes part of a unit under the command of new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. This could be an intriguing front-seven as he joins All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and fellow edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux.
When Burns was asked what this trio was capable of, he sounded very optimistic.
"That is soon to be found out. As of right now we’re just trying to get better every day. With our combined talents, I think the sky’s the limit. We can really do anything. And we’re all young, so hopefully this is years to come."
Burns can certainly relate to what Thibodeaux experienced this past season. The Panthers finished dead last in the NFL with 27 sacks, and the five-year pro had nearly one-third (8.0) of that total. The Giants weren’t far behind with only 34 QB traps, and Thibodeaux (11.5) had just over one-third of those sacks.
Meanwhile, this newest Giant had glowing praise for Lawrence. "He commands a lot. I’m excited for it because I know they really have to key in on him, and also having somebody opposite of me, they’re pretty much going to have to pick their poison on who they’re going to key or slide to. With Dex demanding so much attention and Kayvon also demanding attention, it’s going to free us up a lot.”